


Copper

by OnceAndFloral



Series: cryptid hunters au [3]
Category: The Mechanisms (Band)
Genre: cryptid hunter au, it would be much easier to find answers if ur friend WITH the answers was not a cryptid, mild existential crisis, request, rip brian
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-20
Updated: 2020-11-20
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:22:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,179
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27645428
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OnceAndFloral/pseuds/OnceAndFloral
Summary: Brian looks for some answers. When he signed up to be a cryptid hunter he didn't really expect everything to be so... cryptic. Which, looking back on it, is pretty damn stupid.
Series: cryptid hunters au [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1679077
Comments: 4
Kudos: 51





	Copper

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't written anything for the cryptid hunters au in a while, so if you're going to read this I HIGHLY suggest that you read "The World Tree Rail Yard" before this one or you will more than likely be INCREDIBLY confused.

Something wasn't sitting right with Brian. He honestly didn't think too much of it right after the World Tree Rail Yard incident, but there was _something_ about the way Ashes had looked at him after. They didn't seem too concerned with it anymore, hadn't looked at him the same way since. Nevertheless, that moment stuck in Brian's head.

Was it something to do with how stupid he'd been to approach Lyfrassir when they were having a nuclear meltdown like that? Not his brightest move, but it had to be done. That was a satisfying answer for a little while, until Brian thought, no, if Ashes thought he was an idiot they would have come out and said it. It happened to be one of their best qualities. 

No. This was something Ashes had genuinely dismissed, but they still _saw_ it, and that was reason enough for Brian to look for answers.

* * *

Lyfrassir usually stuck to Tim’s side like glue. They seemed to be very fond of Brian, probably because of the whole “pulling them from the brink” thing, but it seemed that something about Tim that kept them with him. Which made it hard to find a moment alone to talk to them. It wasn't that he didn't trust Tim, Brian just didn't want to make this embarrassing for either Lyfrassir or himself.

When he did find Lyfrassir alone, they were crouched down low to the ground and drawing in the mud with a stick.

“Hey there,” Brian called softly. They looked up from their doodles.

“Hi.”

“Can I talk to you for a minute?”

“Sure. Don't see why not.”

“What happened to you?” Brian asked. Lyfrassir's stick stopped moving. “Before the World Tree?”

“Well, that's rather personal.” They didn't sound angry, which was honestly already better than Brian thought this would have been going. “I thought Raphaella was the scientist of the group.”

“She is, this is just for… Personal curiosity.”

Lyfrassir hummed. “You want to know if I used to be human?”

“Yes?”

They nodded, and returned to doodling in the mud. “I don’t remember a lot before the rail yard. It’s mostly bits and pieces, most of which I don’t like to think about and don’t even make that much sense when I do. But I do remember… a home. Some place that wasn’t hiding in the dark and waiting for people to stumble in. So I think I was. Human, at some point, that is.”

That wasn’t the answer Brian was hoping for. Though, really, he didn’t exactly know _what_ he was hoping for anyways. “I’m sorry. That sounds… rough.”

“It’s alright. Like I said, I don’t like to think about it so I just don’t, and then it doesn’t bother me.” For the first time since they started talking, Lyfrassir looked up at him. “Did you find what you were looking for?”

“No. I don’t think so.”

“Hm. I hope you do. Though I’ve found that your group searches for answers they already have.”

Brian waited for them to continue, but that seemed to be the end of it. They returned to staring at the ground. He sighed, leaning down just slightly to place a hand on their shoulder for a moment before turning to leave. Cryptic as ever.

* * *

Brian frowned as hair blew into his face when he attempted to fiddle around with the weather reading instruments. He should have brought a hair tie or something. Raphaella had enough scrunchies to share.

“Lovely day out, don’t you think?” Marius asked brightly.

“You shouldn’t stand so close to the cliff,” Brian noted.

“Oh, come on! I’m trying to take in the full view of the sea. Just breathe in that fresh, salty air!”

Another lock of hair fell into Brian’s face. “Yes. Fresh.” He sighed. “Look, can you at least get ready with the hygrometer? We’re supposed to be doing this together.”

“I think that you should stop fussing about so much and take just two minutes to enjoy the wide open space. How much time have you had to really stretch your legs out recently?”

Brian frowned. More wind blew into his face and dammit, that was it, it was pinning it back with a fucking _pen_ now. He stood up to dig around in his pockets. “I’m not sure, Marius.”

“Self care, friend! I can patch up everyone’s scrapes and bruises but _you_ need to take care of your mental state.”

He scoffed, gathering up his hair to stick his newly found pen into. “Did you find that on a motivational poster?”

“I find it a compliment you think that could have been on an actual poster.” Out of the corner of his eye, Brian saw him turn around, arms spread out. “Two minutes, Brian! That’s all I ask.”

Marius slipped.

It must have been from the sharp movements he made. Brian heard it before he saw it, really. The scrape of pebbles beneath someone’s shoes as rock gave way beneath them. As cheesy as it was, time really did seem to slow down as he whipped around instinctively. Marius didn’t even yell, didn’t scream. Brian had turned around just in time to see how his eyes widened at the sudden loss of stability. And oh, god, he thought, Marius was going to die.

Time unfroze just for a moment, a single instant as his hand shot forward and he grabbed Marius’ wrist. They stood like that for what was either one minute or thirty with Marius suspended at a precarious angle off the side of the cliff with one foot keeping him grounded. Brian thought that his heart should be pounding a lot harder than it currently was.

“Um.” Marius cleared his throat. “Brian?”

He sounded confused. Why was he confused? He should be scared, hanging off a cliff like that, but then oh, shit. Brian realized that Marius wasn’t really… _Marius_. He was a weird, greyish-silver metallic color. He would have thought that something happened to his ability to see color were it not for the fact that his own hand locked in a vice around Marius’ wrist was suddenly coppery in tone.

Brian had the good sense to yank Marius towards him before letting himself panic.

“Oh my god,” He mumbled. “Oh my god.”

“What the fuck just happened?!” Marius asked. He was back to being normal, healthy human colors whereas when Brian looked down at his hands again they were still metal. Oh good! So it was definitely something wrong with him!

“I don’t know, I-I just tried to grab you and then you were metal and-and-and....” He was going to throw up. If he even could now. “Jesus Christ.” 

Marius held his hands towards him. “Look, we can just go back and tell the others-”

 _“No!”_ He flinched back when Brian yelled. “We absolutely cannot tell the others! I don’t know what _caused_ this or how they’ll react. 

“I guess…”

“I’m not telling anyone anything until I figure this out myself. Just…” He sighed. _“Promise me,_ Marius, that you won’t tell anyone else.”

“Okay, okay. I promise.”

**Author's Note:**

> The request for this one was as simple as "Could i maybe request a fic about brian in the cryptid hunters au?" so HERE WE GO


End file.
